READING, New York - Sept. 28, 2018 - Ducks Unlimited has re-established wetland mitigation credit availability in the Seneca-Finger Lakes Watershed through construction of wetlands at a 53-acre site in the Finger Lakes watershed region in Upstate New York.

The site will provide approximately 16 In-Lieu Fee (ILF) wetland credits and allow DU to continue selling advanced credits in the Finger Lakes Watershed.

ILF is a mitigation approach that allows small impacts from many projects with unavoidable wetland impacts consolidated at larger, more sustainable project sites. A key feature of ILF is legal obligations tied to mitigation requirements are transferred to DU through a simple credit-purchase process. This mitigation approach allows DU to focus on its mission and vision of protecting and restoring important wetland habitats, while providing an economical service for industry. This site is the first of several construction ILF projects in Ducks Unlimited's growing mitigation program in New York and Vermont.

The Finger Lakes watershed is one of most prominent hydrological features in New York. The region supports a thriving tourism industry, including wine vineyards. The water quality of the Finger Lakes is intricately connected to the health of its wetlands, which filter and remove pollutants from rainwater runoff before entering waterways. Regulatory structuring of the ILF program ensures that over time there is a net increase in wetlands on the landscape.

These larger ILF projects offer more improvements to water quality and wildlife habitat than smaller more isolated projects.

DU will continue adding to its ILF mitigation site portfolio in this watershed. Ducks Unlimited is identifying additional restoration opportunities for its mitigation program near the historic Montezuma Wetland Complex, which supports more than 240 species of birds 43 species of mammals,15 species of reptiles and 16 species of amphibians.

Ducks Unlimited's ILF mitigation program in the Northeast has numerous accomplishments to date:

  • Two projects constructed in 2018, one in New York, one in Vermont, which have influenced 105 acres through restoration or active management.
  • To date, Ducks Unlimited has protected seven properties totaling 1,265 acres.
  • Two pending acquisitions will bring the protected acres total up to 1,560 acres.
  • Ducks Unlimited's first 10 in-lieu fee projects have or will produce between 215 to 250 mitigation credits.

Visit www.ducks.org/mitigation to learn more about all of Ducks Unlimited's mitigation opportunities. Click here to visit the New York program and click here to visit the Vermont program.